Hearings, Reports and Prints of the House Committee on Education and Labor

5. Extension and improvement project grants.-Grants for a maximum of 5 years, with Federal matching at 90 percent for the first 3 years, and 75 persent for the last 2 years, for projects

(a) introducing new methods or techniques in the State for
providing vocational rehabilitation services, or

(b) specially designed for development or provision of new
or expanded vocational rehabilitation services for groups
having catastrophic or particularly severe disabilities.
(Sec. 2 of bill; sec. 3 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)
6. Construction of rehabilitation facilities and workshops.-

(a) 5-year program of project grants for new construction of
such facilities, or acquisition of existing buildings and land,
acquisition cost.
with Federal matching at 50 percent of the construction or

(b) residential accommodations authorized in the case of
workshops for the mentally retarded or other groups of disabled,
as designated by the Secretary.

(c) Appropriation authorizations specified as follows:

Millions

5. Same as under previous law but authorized projects for up to 5 years, in lieu of 3 years, previously set as maximum. (Sec. 4 of bill; sec. 3 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)

6. Same as H.R. 8310, except:

(a) Federal matching comparable to Hill-Burton rates.
No provision for acquisition of existing buildings and land.
(b) Residential features in workshops for the retarded not
extended to workshops for other disability groups.

(c) Not specified.

(Sec. 3 of bill; sec. 13 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)

(Sec. 3 of bill; Vocational Rehabilitation Act, sec. 13.)

7. Project grants for initial staffing of new facilities.-Available for
4 years for new facilities constructed under this authority and for
new facilities constructed after enactment of this bill, though not
built with aid under the new construction authority in this bill.
Federal matching at not to exceed these rates:

1st year.

Percent
75

60

Percent

45

30

3d year2d year4th year.. (Sec. 3 of bill; sec. 13 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.) Sa. Workshop improvement grants for training services projects.— Five-year program for project grants to pay 90 percent of the cost of training services provided the handicapped in workshops and rehabilitation facilities, including training allowances for up to 2 years.

7. Same as H.R. 8310, except that new facilities constructed after
enactment of this bill but without aid under the new construction
authority in this bill, would not qualify for initial staffing grants.
(Sec. 3 of bill; sec. 13 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)

8a. Same as H.R. 8310 except:

(1) Federal matching at 75 percent, instead of 90 percent. workshops. (2) Federal matching available only for training services in

Fiscal year 1966

Fiscal year 1967.

Fiscal year 1968.

Summary comparison of major features of H.R. 8310 and H.R. 6476, Vocational Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1965-Continued

H.R. 8310

No economic needs test to be applied in determining allowance
amount. (Sec. 3 of bill; sec. 14 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)
8b. Workshop improvement grants for projects to improve manage-
ment and services and technical assistance.-Five-year program for
project grants to workshops to pay part of the cost of projects to
analyze, improve, and increase their professional services to the
handicapped, their business management or other phases of opera-
tions affecting their capacity to provide services and employment
to the handicapped. Also provisions for technical assistance to
workshops and for National Policy and Performance Council to
advise the Secretary. (Sec. 3 of bill; sec. 14 of Vocational Rehabili-
tation Act.)

8c. Workshop improvement grants: Appropriations authorization.-
Specified to cover grants for training services projects and improve-
ment projects:

Million

9. Flexibility in administrative location of State vocational rehabili-
tation agency.-Authorizes an additional option for flexibility in
State administration, i.e., vocational rehabilitation program may be
located in a State agency which administers 2 or more of the major
public health, welfare, or labor programs, with certain specified
safeguards. (Sec. 8 of bill; sec. 5 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)
10. Project grants for expansion and statewide planning for voca-
tional rehabilitation.-

(a) 5-year program of grants, to pay part of the cost of proj-
ects to expand vocational rehabilitation programs and to in-
crease the number of handicapped persons vocationally
rehabilitated.

H.R. 6746

(3) No appropriations authorization specified. (Sec. 3 of bill; sec. 14 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.) 8b. Same as H.R. 8310.

8c. No appropriations authorization specified.

9. Authorizes different additional option, i.e., vocational re-
habilitation program could be located in State education agency or
an agency administering 1 or more of the major public health, wel-
fare, or labor programs of the State. (Sec. 8 of bill; sec. 5 of Voca-
tional Rehabilitation Act.)

10. Same as H.R. 8310, except for maximum annual planning
grant of $50,000. (Sec. 5 of bill.)

(6) 2-year program of grants to States for planning the
development of comprehensive vocational rehabilitation pro-
grams in each State, with $100,000 maximum on annual grant.
(Sec. 4 of bill; sec. 4 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)

11. Economic need as requirement for Federal participation.-Re-
moves requirements of previous law that economic need be con-
sidered in providing certain services to the handicapped person as a
condition of Federal participation in the cost. (Sec. 6 of bill;
sec. 11 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)

12. Fields of training support.-Specific examples as follows:
physical medicine and rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational
therapy, speech pathology and audiology, rehabilitation nursing,
rehabilitation social work, prosthetics and orthotics, rehabilitation
psychology, rehabilitation counseling, recreation for the ill and
handicapped, and other specialized fields contributing to vocational
rehabilitation. (Sec. 5 of bill; sec. 7 of Vocational Rehabilitation
Act.)

NOTE.-Other major provisions on which these bills are identical:

(a) Waiver of statewideness requirement for locally financed activity.-Authorizes Federal financial participation
in locally financed activity under the State plan for vocational rehabilitation, if the Secretary determines such
activity will promote rehabilitation of substantially larger numbers of disabled individuals or individuals with
disabilities of types not now being served. (Sec. 3 of bill; sec. 15 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)

(b) National Commission on Architectural Barriers to the Rehabilitation of the Handicapped.-To be established
in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to determine what is and can be done to ease such problems
and report to the Secretary in 3 years. (Sec. 3 of bill; sec. 16 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)

(c) Easing limitations on training.-To raise limit on training support from 2 to 4 years. (Sec. 5, H. R. 8310;
sec. 6, S. 1525; sec. 4, Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)

(d) Research and information.-To authorize intramural research program and a rehabilitation information
service. (Sec. 7 of bill; sec. 7 of Vocational Rehabilitation Act.)

(e) Miscellaneous amendments. To authorize provision of reader services for the blind and interpreter serv-
ices for the deaf, without regard to economic need; Federal sharing in costs of managing and supervising business
enterprises for the disabled; plus a technical amendment. (Secs. 9, 10, and 11 of bill; secs. 11 and 4 of Vocational
Rehabilitation Act.)

Mr. POWELL, from the committee of conference, submitted the following

CONFERENCE REPORT

[To accompany H.R. 8310]

The committee of conference on the disagreeing votes of the two Houses on the amendment of the Senate to the bill (H.R. 8310) to amend the Vocational Rehabilitation Act to assist in providing more flexibility in the financing and administration of State rehabilitation programs, and to assist in the expansion and improvement of services and facilities provided under such programs, particularly for the mentally retarded and other groups presenting special vocational rehabilitation problems, and for other purposes, having met, after full and free conference, have agreed to recommend and do recommend to their respective Houses as follows:

That the House recede from its disagreement to the amendment of the Senate and agree to the same with an amendment as follows:

In lieu of the matter proposed to be inserted by the Senate amendment insert the following: That this Act may be cited as the "Vocational Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1965".

AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS; ALLOTMENTS

SEC. 2. (a) Sections 1, 2, and 3 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act are amended to read as follows:

"AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS FOR GRANTS;
PURPOSES FOR WHICH AVAILABLE

"SECTION 1. (a) The Secretary is authorized to make grants as provided in this Act for the purpose of assisting States in rehabilitating handicapped individuals so that they may prepare for and engage in gainful employment to the extent of their capabilities, thereby increasing

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